Past Lectures

Lecture 47 / Sep. 15, 2016

Kazuhiro Arai

Director of Kamakura Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Theme

Companies needed in the future

Description

Mr. Arai founded Kamakura Investment Management in 2008 with the motto “Let’s make more excellent companies,” and has since been seeking out excellent companies as Kamakura’s Chief Investment Officer. Besides running his own business, he serves as a member of the selection committee for the selection of “Omotenashi Management” companies chosen by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and has studied many companies of different sizes and industries. He will discuss why societal changes now demand that companies are both profitable and socially responsible, what are the common qualities of “excellent companies,” and what kinds of companies are needed in the future.

Lecture 46 / Jun. 28, 2016

Dr. Takashi Maeno

Dean and Professor of the Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University

Theme

Disseminating Peace and Happiness from Japan

Description

As an expert in the Science of Happiness, Dr. Maeno has been researching “designs for a happy life” as well as “project/service designs to make people happy.” He will talk about the four foundational elements of happiness and discuss how Japan can contribute to the peace and happiness of the world from a systems perspective.

Lecture 45 / Mar. 29, 2016

Natsuki Yasuda

photo journalist

Theme

Documenting the children of the world through photography: Cambodia, Tohoku, and Syrian refugees

Description

Widening disparity in Cambodia after the civil war, the slow-moving developments in the Tohoku disaster zone, the tragic plight of the refugees of the Syrian civil war… What do the children living in these situations see and feel? What will be their future? Showing photos of people she met, Ms. Yasuda will discuss why she is motivated to go to these troubled places to document the lives of the people.

Lecture 44 / Sep. 29, 2015

Dr. Takeo Saijo

President of Essencial Practice Academeia, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Commerce, Waseda Universityx

Theme

Keys to creating a better world: From the viewpoint of a “revolutionary support system” and the “study of essential practice”

Description

Dr. Saijo systemized an original theory called “structural constructivism,” combining psychology and philosophy and transcending differences of values and beliefs. He will share what he learned through his experiences organizing volunteers after the Great East Japan Earthquake, based on this theory. He will also discuss the leadership needed in diversified society, organization and team building to make people happy, as well as useful ideas from the study of essential practice.

Lecture 43 / Jun. 25, 2015

Dr. Yasuo Tateoka

Professor at Shizuoka University

Theme

SHIEN-gaku (Supportology): Ways of living and working in the new era

Description

The world is changing drastically. Competition-based survival of the fittest has become an obsolete idea, and we are moving into an era of connectivity and relationships to bring out the best in each other. Dr. Tateoka calls this the “process paradigm,” in which the definitions of issues and their solutions and the existence of individuals, organizations and nations will all change. He will describe how he successfully turned around a heavily indebted major automobile company in a matter of a few years by implementing the principle of SHIEN based on altruism.

Lecture 42 / Mar. 4, 2015

Dr. Masaharu Sako

Theme

The role of Japan in a super-aging society

Description

How can the elderly with disabilities stay active in society and maintain their lifestyle without shutting themselves in? By learning to live with illness and disabilities, building a medical support system to develop their abilities as best they can, and creating an optimum environment to support their social activities. Dr. Sako believes Japan’s role is to develop a local model to implement these solutions and spread it across the country and throughout Asia. He will introduce the cutting edge of rehabilitation care, local rehabilitation systems, and urban development.

Lecture 41 / Sep. 18, 2014

Tetsuya Iida

Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP)

Theme

Global energy revolution: Challenge from the local communities

Description

Amidst global crises such as climate change, the depletion of energy resources, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, rapid progress continues to be made in the field of renewable energy, referred to as “the fourth major revolution in human history.” Leading this trend is the so-called “decentralized energy revolution.” Mr. Iida will introduce examples of this energy shift and its dynamic unfolding in different parts of the world, and envision an energy revolution in Japan in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Lecture 40 / Jun. 3, 2014

Yoshiharu Sekino

Explorer, medical doctor, anthropologist

Theme

The Great Journey of Humanity: Where do we come from and where do we go?

Description

Dr. Sekino completed a 50,000-km trek to trace the “great journey” that humans are believed to have taken as they migrated from Africa to other parts of the world millions of years ago. He observes that humanity has created a flourishing and convenient civilization, but it has also created negative sides such as the depletion of natural resources and the destruction of the environment. However, people who continue to lead traditional ways of life know how to live sustainably as part of nature, using but not destroying nature. Their values and ways of thinking are totally different from those of us who think we can control nature, and they provide inspiration in finding the path for human survival. Dr. Sekino will share the wisdom of the indigenous peoples he encountered on his great journey, showing dynamic images from around the globe.

Lecture 39 / Mar. 6, 2014

Dr. Norio Kaifu

President of the International Astronomical Union

Theme

Life on Earth and life in the cosmos

Description

Text to follow

Lecture 38 / Dec. 11, 2013

Shigeatsu Hatakeyama

Founder of NPO “Mori wa Umi no Koibito”, Professor of Field Studies and Practical Learning, Kyoto University